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United States Patent | 6,055,099 |
Webb | April 25, 2000 |
An optical interconnect is formed form a series of coaxially aligned lenses. The lenses are spaced apart along a planar substrate and form repeated images of an optical array at the input to the interconnect. Outputs ports are located at different points along the interconnect. Each of the pair of lenses enclosing one of the repeated images is formed as a single physically integral member. This member may take the form of a transparent rod having spherical end surfaces. Each of the spherical end surfaces then provides one of the pair of lenses.
Inventors: | Webb; Roderick P (Woodbridge, GB) |
Assignee: | British Telecommunications public limited company (London, GB) |
Appl. No.: | 051538 |
Filed: | April 13, 1998 |
PCT Filed: | February 14, 1997 |
PCT NO: | PCT/GB97/00430 |
371 Date: | April 13, 1998 |
102(e) Date: | April 13, 1998 |
PCT PUB.NO.: | WO97/31280 |
PCT PUB. Date: | August 28, 1997 |
Feb 23, 1996[EP] | 96301235 | |
Feb 23, 1996[GB] | 9603861 |
Current U.S. Class: | 359/435; 359/618; 385/24; 385/34 |
Intern'l Class: | G02B 006/28; G02B 006/32 |
Field of Search: | 359/435,618,619,163 385/24,34 250/208.2,551 364/822 |
4148550 | Apr., 1979 | MacAnally | 359/435. |
4470407 | Sep., 1984 | Hussein | 600/108. |
5218654 | Jun., 1993 | Sauter | 385/24. |
5245680 | Sep., 1993 | Sauter. | |
Foreign Patent Documents | |||
0 658 786 | Jun., 1995 | EP. | |
36 26 164 | Feb., 1987 | DE. | |
2 253 073 | Aug., 1992 | GB. |